AMHERST, Mass. – Kelsey Ayers '15 and Donna Leet '15 combined for four hits and six RBIs to lead the Amherst College softball team to a 10-2 non-conference win in five innings over Elms College Wednesday. 

Sarah McKay '16 was 3-for-3 for the Jeffs (23-11) while Leet went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs and Ayers also drove in three with a single, triple and walk. Caroline Sealander '15 earned the win for Amherst, scattering three hits while striking out five and walking one. 

Leah Spring had a single and triple for the Blazers (9-18) while Jamie Miner absorbed the loss for Elms, striking out five as she tossed four and one-thirds innings before Kaitlin SIlkowitz '14 hit an RBI double in the fifth to end the contest early via the eight-run mercy rule.

The Jeffs grabbed a quick run in the first when Ayers drew a leadoff walk, Kaitlin Silkowitz '14 bunted her to second, and the speedy sophomore raced home on Leet's high bouncing single over the first baseman's head. 

With two outs in the second, the hosts padded their lead as Ashleigh Rutherford '16 doubled down the third base line, McKay drove a single to left, and Ayers sliced an RBI bloop hit over third. The Blazers nearly escaped the inning without further damage, but a throwing error on Silkowitz's infield single brought in McKay and Leet smashed an opposite-field double to the warning track in left, scoring two before she was gunned down at third by a strong Elms relay.

Trailing 5-0, the Blazers quickly began to chip away as Spring drove in Ally Witaszek with an RBI triple to left in the third and scored on Ali Bonavita's sacrifice fly. But the Jeffs blew it open with four unearned runs in the bottom half as Reilly Horan '13 singled, raced to third on a throwing error then scored on a bunt hit by Brianna Cook '16. After a second Elms error, Rutherford drove in Cook with a groundout, McKay singled, and Ayers plated two more with a triple to the right-center gap.

Sealander kept the Blazers scoreless over the last two frames before reaching on an error to lead off the fifth and coming home with the Jeffs' final run after McKay's third hit of the day and a game-ending single from Silkowitz.

The contest marked the final home game for Amherst seniors Theresa Kelley and Horan, who wrap up their careers with a 39-15 (.722) record on their own diamond. The Jeffs conclude their 2013 schedule on Friday with a non-conference doubleheader at regional rival Keene State. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

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